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Monday, April 8, 2013

RUSSIAN PANKRATION LOCKFLOWS , THE LONG LOST GREEK ART OF KICKING ASS.

Pankration is a fighting style (many would ague a martial arts style) that was first recorded in the year 648 BC that utilized a mix of both boxing and wrestling. Rules were very open, with the only limits being no biting or eye gouging. This has long been considered the origin of MMA as we know it today.

The Greeks were revered for their ruthless, powerful yet efficient fighting styles which most grapplers would first associate with wrestling. Our modern day wrestling (freestyle and greco roman) along with Catch Wrestling and CACC inspired arts (Shooto, Luta Livre, Sambo ) can be traced back to this time period. And yes, at one point in history the Greeks were bad ass.

As the centuries passed, records and references detailing the style of Pankration have been few and far. Over the past 20 years, with the aid of some hard working individuals, we have seen a resurrection of the art in the form of Modern Pankration and Amateur MMA. This resurgence has lead FILA to accept it as a sanctioned combat sport.

Today we take you straight to Mother Russia (which has long been the home of many grappling beasts) where the comrades at the Russian Pankration MMA Gym show us a sweet lockflow that includes Armbars, Kimuras and Americanas.